Rail has long been the favoured mode of transport for moving bulk goods and cement is just one commodity for which specialised wagons have been developed to facilitate this. In the mid-Twentieth century British Railways introduced the ‘Presflo’ wagons to carry powdered cement, which had previously been conveyed in goods vans in bagged form, and as time moved on new designs were sought to replace the distinctive ‘Presflos’. Many of the new cement wagons, which were coded PCAs under the Total Operations Processing System (TOPS), featured depressed centres or ‘V’ tanks, but the ‘Metalairs’ built for Blue Circle Cement had parallel tanks. The wagons were built by Powell Duffryn and Procor in the mid-1980s and used a discharge system developed by Metalair; many remain in use today.
The Bachmann Branchline ‘Metalair’ wagons are faithful 4mm scale replicas of the real thing, using injection moulded bodyshells to capture the distinctive shape of the parallel tank that is then adorned with separate tank filler hatches, walkways, ladders and end pipework. The chassis boasts a wealth of fine detail too, from the suspension and axleboxes which are modelled in full relief to the discharge pipework and brake components that are each added individually. The bufferbeams are finished with metal buffer heads, a cosmetic coupling hook and lamp iron, while metal wheelsets are employed along with NEM coupling pockets.
MODEL FEATURES:
•Bachmann Branchline OO Scale
•Era 9
•Weathered ‘Freightliner Heavy Haul’ Grey livery
•Running No. BCC11050
•Accessory Pack
•NEM Coupling Pockets
•Length 115mm (over couplings)